Chapter 253
Chapter 253
"Mother, you don't even ask what good deed he's done!" Xu Heming was practically fuming at his own foolish son.
"Qingshi is just a child, what could he possibly do? Besides, if a child makes a mistake, teach him properly. How can you just hold him up like that? What if you drop him? My poor little grandson." The Old Princess gestured for Xu Heming to quickly put down her precious grandson.
Xu Heming took a deep breath.
Did the Old Princess really think that just because he was a child, it explained the kind of things he was saying?
"Grandmother, what's wrong with you?" Only then did Xu Qingshi notice that The Old Princess was lying in bed.
"It's nothing, just a minor chill." Seeing Xu Qingshi, The Old Princess felt considerably better.
"Grandmother, you're lying!" Xu Qingshi's eyes reddened as he looked at the extremely frail Old Princess. In his heart, he thought, how could this possibly be just a minor chill?
Did she think he was young and easy to fool?
"Grandmother, could it be... you've been poisoned?" Xu Qingshi himself didn't know how he came up with the idea that The Old Princess might have been poisoned.
However, his words caused everyone in the room to freeze. Nanny Luo looked at Xu Heming with even more confusion, her eyes asking, 'Did you tell the young master this?'
Xiuzhu was also momentarily puzzled, worried in her heart: Would The Old Princess be able to bear it later when she found out it was the young lady who poisoned her?
"What are you all making those faces for? Could it be that this old woman's illness truly isn't a chill?" Seeing their expressions, The Old Princess, who had already harbored suspicions about the sudden, unexplained nature of her weakness, grew even more doubtful.
Originally, she thought she might be overthinking it.
But now, looking at their faces, a bold idea took root in The Old Princess's heart: she wasn't suffering from a chill at all.
She really had been poisoned!
"Nanny Luo, where is Qiaoshu? Did she really go back?" The Old Princess quickly thought of Zheng Qiaoshu, who had been absent for days.
The seed of suspicion quietly sprouted and grew in her heart.
The Old Princess's question made Nanny Luo's heart sink. For a moment, she didn't know how to answer and could only look pleadingly at Xu Heming beside her.
"Grandmother, what Qiaoshu? I haven't seen her since I came back," Xu Qingshi asked curiously.
Xu Heming sighed, knowing the matter could no longer be concealed.
Fine. From the beginning, he hadn't actually intended to hide it from The Old Princess. He was only worried that her frail body wouldn't withstand the shock.
Now that she had sensed something was wrong, there was no need for him to continue hiding it.
"Mother, it's a long story," Xu Heming sighed and proceeded to recount everything to The Old Princess truthfully.
When he mentioned how Li Tianyou had first sensed something amiss and Liu Ming had administered the antidote, Xu Heming held nothing back. He also told her how Zheng Qiaoshu had tried to turn the tables and falsely accuse Li Tianyou and Liu Ming of poisoning her.
The Old Princess's face grew darker and darker as she listened.
She had always believed she treated Zheng Qiaoshu well. Never did she expect this was how she was repaid.
Truly an ungrateful wretch.
She had treated her with all her heart, and in return, she wanted her life.
Truly a venomous snake.
"Where is she now?" The Old Princess asked through gritted teeth, after doing much psychological preparation.
She didn't believe that after doing something so outrageous to her, the people of An Manor would simply let Zheng Qiaoshu leave.
If she couldn't confront her and get to the bottom of this, she wouldn't be able to swallow this anger.
"Mother, she is currently in the manor's dungeon, awaiting judgment," Xu Heming reported truthfully.
"I will take you there once you have recovered and rested well, Mother," Xu Heming added.
"Keep her locked up for now. This old woman will personally deal with her!" The Old Princess said fiercely.
"I understand, Mother. Rest assured, once you have regained your health, she will be at your disposal," Xu Heming deliberately emphasized The Old Princess recovering her health.
"This old woman owes her life to Lord Li and Steward Liu. Remember to properly thank them later," The Old Princess was someone who clearly distinguished gratitude from grievance. She naturally felt grateful towards those who were good to her.
As for those who wanted her life, she would not let them off either.
Lady Yao and Li Zhiwei were in the carriage on their way back to the Li residence.
Lady Yao held back for a long time before finally looking at her daughter and asking, "What matter did you help An Manor handle today?"
What Lady Yao actually wanted to say was that since her daughter wasn't yet married into An Manor, their affairs should be handled by themselves. Otherwise, if her daughter handled something improperly before the marriage, it could damage her reputation.
"Qingshi accidentally bumped into a young lady who was said to be the Commandery Princess of Zhennan Manor. That princess was tall and stout. How could a small child like Qingshi possibly have bumped into her?" At that moment, Li Zhiwei felt the whole thing was simply ridiculous and told Lady Yao about it.
"How did you handle it?" Lady Yao frowned, not expecting the other party to have such a prominent background.
"I had Physician Zhang examine her, but she refused. She demanded three thousand taels in compensation instead. I hadn't settled it yet when the Prince returned, so I didn't intervene further," Li Zhiwei replied truthfully.
"In the future, just decline such matters," Lady Yao sighed, relieved to hear that Xu Heming had handled it himself.
"Mother, don't worry, your daughter knows her limits," Li Zhiwei knew Lady Yao meant well and quickly responded.
"Wei'er, it's not that Mother doesn't want you to manage things, but your current status isn't suitable," Lady Yao sighed and spoke seriously to her daughter.
Back in Li'an County, there were already many intricacies among the ladies of various households, let alone here in the capital.
Presumably, the sordid affairs of the inner courtyards were even more numerous.
Lady Yao only worried her daughter would suffer.
"Wei'er, have you ever thought about how you will interact with the ladies of noble families once you marry into An Manor?" Lady Yao looked at her daughter and asked with great seriousness.
Li Zhiwei looked at Lady Yao with confusion. She had never considered this question. After all, in her previous life, Lady Yao had never spoken to her like this.
And she herself had never gone out to socialize with those ladies and young misses.
Given a second chance, she had only thought about avoiding being married into the Ru'an Marquis's household. She hadn't rejected the marriage to the Prince of An, but she had never considered how she would get along with the noble ladies in the future.
Li Zhiwei looked at Lady Yao with a bewildered expression, not understanding why she was suddenly bringing up such a topic.
"The Old Princess is a gentle mother-in-law, but Wei'er, An Manor is not like our humble household. Their rules are certainly more numerous. In the future, you will be the Princess of An, and the people and affairs you'll need to attend to will be many. Have you considered any of this?" Lady Yao wished she could break down each issue piece by piece and explain them all to her daughter.
Li Zhiwei shook her head in confusion. She had never thought about these problems.
In fact, her plans didn't even include a category for social engagements.